The United States embassy in Phnom Penh issues a statement Thursday criticizing the Cambodian government's action to strip the parliamentary immunity of three members of the opposition party.

The US Embassy calls today's action as a major setback for democracy in Cambodia. The statement also says the US is very concerned that the Cambodian government has taken such action to silence the opposition party when it has many more urgent issues to solve.

The Cambodian government has not yet reacted to the US embassy's statement. However, prime minister Hun Sen said earlier Thursday that he did not care what other countries think about today's legislative action as long as it's done legally under the Cambodian legal framework.